Within a few days, my Olympus Evolt E-410 will be arriving at my house. For those of you who don’t know, over the past year I’ve developed a strong liking for photography (due mainly to the influence and support of a good friend of mine, Martha). I currently have my photos posted to a flickr site (http://www.flickr.com/photos/throughjakseyes). However, most of the photos have been taken with a simple digital camera, with about 3mega pixels. The more detailed photos were taken with 10megapixel cameras that were borrowed either from Martha or my boyfriend’s dad.

Anyway, I am finally able to afford my own, and I couldn’t be more excited. I am definitely thinking about starting a second blog with my photos and possibly an “article” to accompany them. This is just an idea I wanted to get out there, so keep checking in, and I’ll be sure to post to keep you guys updated

Till then, here are a couple of my favorites:

(All rights reserved)

All rights reserved

All rights reserved

While treating myself to a mini manicure in my hometown, I overheard two women speaking qute loudly about the current state of the neighborhood, a low middle-class area with a very large Latino population.

These two refined caucasion women discussed oh-so-eloquently their disgust with the Mexican community. They’re low class. They don’t believe in education. They’re lazy. All of the wonderfully insightful criticisms you could think of were mentioned.

I sat in the waiting area so angered by what I was hearing. I couldn’t bring myself to speak up only because the two women looked about thirty and forty years my superior, and I just cannot disrespect my elders. Every time one of the women caught my eye, I was sure to portray a look of shock and disapproval.

I listened to them rant on. I was embarrassed to be caucasion at that point. I was embarrassed to be a white woman, to look like them. I was embarrassed to be in the same room as they were and even to speak the same language! I experienced a combination of emotions which I could not even begin to describe.

Soon, it was my turn to get my nails done. I sat with a Vietnamese man, named Tony, who does my nails better than anyone else I have ever gone to (so if you want to know the place, I totally recommend it). After softening the cuticles (wow, I sound like such a girly girl…), he sent me to the sink to wash and dry my hands. As I walked over, I passed one of the women who had been bashing Latinos returning from washing her hands. I honestly could not bear to look her in the eye.

When I reached the sink, to my amazement, I realized she had left her wet paper towels, lying in a fresh pool of soapy water on the edge of the sink.

I guess she was waiting for one of those “lazy ass Mexicans” to come clean them up.  Maybe the woman was just too educated to have to pick up after herself. Or MAYBE she was just SO high-class she couldn’t tolerate the thought of throwing her garbage into the trash can, located conveniently next to the sink.

Whatever it was, at least she’s better than those damn Mexicans.

I just realized that yesterday marked my 35th post, and the site reached 3,765 views yesterday as well. In light of these milestones (ha!), I decided to write a post of somewhat more inward reflection with a nice corny twist to it. I usually don’t express much deep, personal emotion/reflcetion on this site, so I am slightly nervous and good deal embarrassed…. So try to be nice with your comments this time around  

Most of us have probably heard the old saying: “If you’re not a Democrat by the time you’re 17, you have no heart. If you’re not a Republican by the time you’re 35, you have no brain.” I have been pondering this idea for quite a while. My mom used to tell me this every once in a while during my young teen years, and it enraged me. I used to think “Ugh! What a horrible thing to think! It is way better to be a Democrat.” Now that I am 20 and have a little more life experience under my belt, I am able to look at this saying a little more rationally, but not necessarily with less questions.

I feel I hit my peak Democratic, liberalist attitude at 18. To call myself a “bleeding heart liberal” would certainly be an understatement. Every ounce of suffering I saw cut me deeply and I constantly questioned why our government wasn’t stepping in to feed this family or save that fain forest. Compassion and empathy have always been two of my most profound characteristics (hence why I took “Veronica” as my Confirmation name in 8th grade [For you non-Christians, she is the one who approached Jesus and used her cloth to wipe the blood and sweat from His face while He carried the cross]), but some inward reflection has made me realize that these qualities have kind of… shifted.

While I would still love to see a hungry family eat or a rain forest thrive, I cannot say that I still believe it is only the duty of our government to remedy such problems. I’ll have to turn to my guy, Thomas Paine for some insight here: “Government is best which governs least.” We certainly need a central government for national defense/international relations, to regulate currency, and oversee interstate commerce, but why has the national it seeped into issues of abortion, gun control, and drug laws?

Looking across the country, many may argue(my uncle included, as we just had a huge debate about this the other day) that citizens have become uneducated, ignorant, and that people are naturally inclined toward selfishness. They state that the Supreme Court and federal government must act to protect us, that they must remedy the problems the we have created through our own shortcomings.

I cannot agree.

While I look across this country and see ignorance, hate, stupidity, and overall apathy, I simply do not believe this is human nature. We have allowed ourselves to become dependent on government, to let it make decisions for us, to let it do all the work. What happened to Plato and Aristotle’s ideal citizen?  What happened to the Ben Franklins of this country (for those who don’t know, he was one of twenty children, and his father was a candle maker/soap boiler)- the every day citizen who rises up to take the challenge and exhibit the qualities on which this country was founded?

More people could tell you the names of Britney Spears’ children than could name their state representatives. More people voted on the first season of American Idol than voted in the 2000 election. Yet we cry out to the courts to right the wrongs. We yell at government for not taking care of more of its citizens.

The privilege of living in a democracy comes with the responsibility and challenges of upholding it, and it seems like people are becoming more and more accustomed to sitting back and letting the big guys do all the work. I would not necessarily blame this on citizens though. A lot of times, people in power seek to make the Average Joe believe that he cannot take action and that he can have no impact. They aim to keep themselves in power.

Whether you are for or against abortion (I won’t be arguing that at this time), we should not run to the court system to establish this or that abortion law as correct. This is a job for our legislators, and this is where rights such as the First Amendment come into play. As a democratic republic, we have the right to voice our policy opinions to our representatives and get them made into law. The court’s only role is to determine whether that law has any CLEAR violation of the Constitution.

Today, we just find it all too easy to have a group of 9 people, completely insulated from public wants and opinoins make the law for us.

“If you’re not a Democrat by the time you’re 17, you have no heart.” This is true. We have to develop a very broad and general conception of compassion and care for others in order for society to function properly.

“If you’re not a Republican by the time you’re 35, you have no brain.” This too is true. Once our care for others has matured in a way that we can discipline ourselves to work through difficult solutions, we have developed a brain. We need to be intelligent and independent from government in our actions to help others.

We need to have a heart to love humanity while at the same time have the brain to do carry out our duties and responsibilities as American citizens and ultimately reach our goal of helping others. “If you give a man a fish, he will eat for a day. If you teach a man to fish, he will eat for a lifetime.” I believe that adage too applies to my argument. If we teach our children and teach ourselves to be educated citizens, we can help the destitute in any situation; we can develop laws that work the best for the greatest number of people.

I am certain that it is possible to have both a heart and a brain. While especially at this point in time, it may not really be especially conceivable to be both a Republican and a Democrat, I believe that by strenthening our hearts, we provide fuel for our brains, and while educating our minds we only increase our capacity to love.

I am accepting the challenge to become an American citizen, heart and mind.

Washington Post Article

Here is a link to a Washington Post article about obesity in both urban and suburban children.

As many readers know, I have done a few other posts on obesity and focused particularly on overweight children.

This article in the Post quotes parents and dietitians making excuse after excuse for overweight children, and it is oh so easy to buy into. “There aren’t enough outreach programs,” “Our schedules are so hectic,” etc.

My response: if you didn’t allow your child to become overweight in the first place, you would not need an outreach program. If you took the time to be a disciplined, interactive parent, you could do yourself for free what outreach programs do for a cost. An added benefit is that the parents, instead of a strange instructor works side by side with their children.

You don’t need to pay an outreach program to tell you what’s wrong. Why do you need someone to tell you skim milk is healthier than 2%? Why should you have to pay someone to tell you that carrots are better for you than chips; that going for a walk is better than watching television; that a turkey sandwich is less fatal than fries and a coke?

One parent stated that it is so frustrating when her son says “you’re a mean mom for not letting me have this milk shake. It’s not fair.” Okay, and whose fault is it that your son associates your love for him with food.

I spend most of the summer with my aunt and uncle and their two kids who are 4 and 6. Jacob, 4, is in soccer and t-ball. Katie, 6, is in gymnastics. Their parents have instilled in them a sense of self-restraint with regard to food indulgence. The kids regard french fries as a sort of special treat only eaten on the rarest of occasions. They do not drink pop- only milk, water, and 100% juice. They walk their children to school pending the weather. The kids play outside almost every day. They eat at least two fruits at every breakfast and two vegetables at every lunch. Despite my aunt’s full time job as a judge with DCFS and my uncle’s job as an attorney who owns his own firm, they find time to keep their children healthy and active. It requires discipline; it requires time, but their children are worth it.

Parents who claim they are too busy to prepare and offer healthy meals, physical activity, and regular meal times to their children, in my opinion, are not trying hard enough. There is certainly something in EVERYONE’S day that can be sacrificed for the health of their children. This should be an unquestioned fact of good parenting.

Parents: stop making excuses. Stop waiting until your child has high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and a low tolerance for physical activity. Stop waiting until there is a problem before taking action. I feel like we choose instead to pay for a remedy “after the fact” rather than put in the time and effort to take preventitive measures. WE ARE KILLING OUR CHILDREN.

Obesity is a big problem, and it starts with every one of us. Parents must be willing to take individual responsibility (and yes, even blame) for their child’s health and weight from the get go. It is far easier to instill and establish good habits early on than to try to rectify deeply-rooted mistakes later in life.

Some may point to the fact that I am not a parent- that I do not know the struggles parents face in issues such as these. I would disagree. I know the eating and living habits my mother worked diligently to help me with. I know that for this reason I avoid sweets, junky snacks, and fast food. For this reason, I take time out of my very busy schedule as a student with a double major, a part-time job, and the position as president of my college to run three miles four times a week. I walk instead of driving my car whenever possible. I eat until I am satisfied and I do not overfeed myself. I know how to live in a healthy way, and I know why I am able to make these choices- because my parents taught me how.

Once I am a parent, I will care enough for my children’s well-being to promote similar life style choices. I want my children to be happy and healthy, right from the start.

Do you?

Before anyone continues to read, I would like to make it clear that this post is going to be ridiculously one-sided. I hate Oprah. She does nothing for society. You can tell me all you want about her charity or whatever good dead you want to harp on, but how often does she do these deeds?

In 2007, Oprah was worth $1.8 billion. Put simply: When Oprah shells out a couple thousand to this or that charity, it’s like me pulling nickels out from under my couch.  She is not brave. She is not overly intelligent. She DEFINITELY doesn’t even have good looks going for her!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=JW4LLwkgmqA

My grandpa sent me this link. It’s about “Oprah’s Church”. So the gist of the story is that she is telling people that there are many paths to heaven and that Christ is not the only way.

WHY DO YOU PEOPLE CARE?! Let her say what she wants and believe what she needs. It’s a free country. She is obviously just trying to get more people to pay attention to her and worship the ground she walks on. Plus she hangs out with that doofus, Tom Cruise. He is probably converting her to scientology, slowly but surely.

I mean, she does have a lot of money to give… she’ll probably become a church elder after about a week.

The comments on the video say things like, “Well, I guess she won’t be walking through the Gates of Heaven with any of us.” Who the hell are you to proclaim you’re going to heaven? That is the most self-righteous, pedantic thing I’ve ever heard. Man, get a life.

Oprah continues to say that, while in church, she was listening to the minister discuss how all-knowing and all-existing God is. She then stated that the minster said that God is a jealous God.

I dunno what kind of wack-job church you’re going to lady, but I can tell you that in all my years of Catholic-school-going and  church attendance, I have never ever heard that phrase.

Other than to tell Oprah that she is a dummy, we should all just stop paying attention to her. Stop buying her books. Stop watching her boringly redundant show. Don’t buy her magazine, her clothing line, or her cocaine products (joke?). Just stop giving her the time of day. Let her say and think whatever she wants. It’s not hurting anyone. She is vapid and self-centered. By paying attention we feed into her cravings for money and popularity.

Why in God’s name would you buy her magazine anyway? The woman can’t stay in shape. She can’t stay young. She isn’t good looking. Unless you are worth 1.8 billion you’re not going to be able to buy half the junk she advertises.

Pick up a book.

Thomas Paine’s most influential writings are now available in paperback.
How about Alex de Toqueville ’s Democracy in America?
To Kill a Mockingbird
Boy’s Life
1984 is my favorite
Fahrenheit 451?!

Anything but Oprah! For God’s sake, feed your intellect!!

(Re-reading this post has made me realize how ridiculous it is, but I don’t really care. I’m entitled to a good nonsensical rant every now and then, right?)

I was born and raised Catholic. I went to a Catholic grade school, a Catholic high school, and I’m at a Catholic university right now.  Thus, it’s become pretty hard for me to understand why I find myself parting ways with the Church on so many levels.

Perhaps it’s for reasons such as the Pope’s addition of Seven (new) Deadly Sins to the previous seven: abortion, social injustice, pollution, selling drugs, contraception, genetic engineering, and being obscenely wealthy.

Looking at the Church’s view of the fetus, abortion is not so far-fetched, but with the Church’s unflinching stance on “respecting life from birth until NATURAL DEATH”, why is the death penalty not on the list?
Social injustice seems ridiculously broad, but I won’t argue that…for now
Pollution though… As any of my regular readers will know,  I love the environment, and I think it’s important to care for it; however we can’t expect to  stop pollution on a dime (Does that make sense?). In order to find alternatives to pollution, we have to pollute. Research requires the burning of fossil fuels and natural gases, sorry. Helping Third World countries by flying food out to them (in order to prevent social injustice, mind you) requires that we pollute.
I don’t really have anything against the addition of selling drugs to the list. It ruins lives, but why isn’t using drugs, then on the list?
Contraception is an interesting addition to the Seven Deadly Sins. I feel like the Church might as well add premarital sex to the list, seeing as the majority of contraception products are used by non-married couples. However, adding contraception to the list seems to hammer home the Church’s already heavy-handed stance that once a married couple is done having children, sex too must cease. I see so many problems with this logic. We are animals, as much as the Church wants to deny it. Surely, if a husband or wife decides to follow Catholic upbringings and tell the significant other that they refuse to have sex ever again, couldn’t this encourage the husband or wife to have an extramarital affair? Wouldn’t continuing to have sex as a married couple only foster the love and intimacy marriage is meant to promote?
Genetic Engineering is a sticky subject. While the science is taking some actions that screw with nature, it is also searching for quicker methods to manufacture insulin for men and women with diabetes. It is helping scientists do more expansive research to study and cure cancer. We cannot make a sweeping statement and say that genetic engineering is all bad.
And finally… being obscenely wealthy too is now a deadly sin. Isn’t it possible to be obscenely wealthy and still be a good person? Donate to charity? Go to church? Love your family and others? Guilting people out of being obscenely wealthy is only going to serve to derail capitalism and turn us into a Communist State…. something else the Church is strongly against.

As confessions are on the decline, many speculate that the Church created these new sins to help up the number of confessions. However, one must wonder why the Pope hasn’t added “child molestation” to the list of sins. Perhaps because it targets too many of its own in ways that these other sins absolutely cannot?

You are absolved of your sins.

I’ll admit it, I’m addicted to “Rock of Love”. I really don’t watch a lot of television, but something about that smutty filth we call television has sucked me in. As embarrassed as I am, I cannot look away.

While skimming through the channels to see if any Rock of Love reruns were on, I noticed VH1 was celebrating Black History Month. Is “celebrating” the right word?

For anyone who’s watched VH1, its celebration of Black History Month was set up just like their other shows: A series of men and women are interviewed, and in between the clips of their answers/statements are pieces of movies and TV shows to illustrate their points.

Well I happened to come to the station just as various black comedians, actors, and musicians were discussing the image of the black man/woman in movies before the 1980’s. The statement was made, “Before 1985, if you were a black man in Hollywood, you could never get a job as an actor unless you played a pimp.” Another interviewee came up and stated, “It was basically blacks playing out the white stereotype that all black men are pimps and all black women are hookers. Whites couldn’t see beyond that.”

WOW. Hold on… just one second please. The stereotypes that whites have about blacks…Seriously?
I am as liberal as they come as far as fighting inequality, racism, etc., but when I hear statements that seem to be blatant hypocrisy and absurdity, well I just can’t stand and fight for the minority.

How many songs have been written with the word “pimp” embedded at any point in the lyrics? Dear God. I know nothing about rap and pop culture, but I’ve heard enough rap at dances and parties to know how often the artists in rap and R&B songs profess to be pimps.

“I don’t know what you heard about me
But a b*tch can’t get a dollar out of me
No Cadillac, no perms, you can’t see
That I’m a motherf*cking P-I-M-P”
-50 Cent/Snoop Dogg

“Wait I got a snow bunny, and a black girl too
You pay the right price and they’ll both do you
That’s the way the game goes, gotta keep it strictly pimpin
Gotta have my hustle tight, makin change off these women, yeah

You know it’s hard out here for a pimp
When he tryin to get this money for the rent
For the Cadillacs and gas money spent
Because a whole lot of bitches talkin sh*t”
-Djay f/ Shug

“You know I thug ‘em, f*ck ‘em, love ‘em, leave ‘em
Cause I don’t f*ckin’ need ‘em
Take ‘em out the hood
Keep ‘em looking good
But I don’t f*ckin’ feed em
First time they fuss I’m breezin’
Talking ’bout what’s the reasons
I’m a pimp in every sense of the word, b*tch “
-Jay-Z

“Pimpin them hoes and put the b*tch on the track
And tell the ho to bring all my money back”
-Pimp C

The list goes on…

I don’t understand how the group of people on VH1, assuming that they are expressing the majority opinion, could possibly say that it was white stereotyping alone that kept them playing pimp roles in movies. Look at these lyrics! African Americans, by their own free will, categorizing themselves as pimping, degrading their women and selling their dignity for money. These rappers are PROMOTING THE VERY IMAGE ABOUT WHICH THEY COMPLAIN?! How can you claim to be kept down by the white man, to be disgusted with the image you have been given by whites in America, and still, by your own accord, calling yourself the very thing from which you are trying to shake free? I don’t understand… And don’t get me started on the things these lyrics do to black women.

To be honest, I almost started crying as I was searching for these lyrics. My eyes began to tear up. How can you talk about other human beings in this way and get away with it? How is this right? Why are black rappers willing to rob their own race of dignity, especially their females?

Ah yes…
The Almighty Dollar.

Most of my friends don’t understand how I can hate rap as much as I do, but there is my reason. I believe there is worth in every human being, and in my opinion, words like these rob that worth for all its value.

VH1’s charming Black History Month special continued with discussing the size of a black man’s penis. What a way to celebrate the solidarity, accomplishments, and advancements of the black culture by discussing the rumor of a black man’s penis size. Black men and women came on the screen making statements such as, “Oh yes. I am sure the majority of white women have fantasized about being with a black man… just to see if the rumor is true.” “Oh yeah, I’m sure white men are often belittled by our size. They know they can’t compete and wonder if their women would leave them for us for more sexual pleasure.”

This is the way you want to promote Black History Month??? THIS is the way you want to show the legitimacy of your race? Especially with so many young and old teens tuning in to VH1 on a daily basis, this is the opinion you want them to have of blacks? THIS is what you want them to think of when they think of black culture?

I turned the VH1 special off after this. I couldn’t take it anymore. Perhaps it went into details on the courage, honor, and determination of people like Jackie Robinson, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks. Maybe it mentioned the intelligence, talent, and skill of others like Oprah Winfrey, Muhammad Ali, and Maya Angelou.

If I am wrong about VH1’s special, please correct me. If anyone watched the whole thing and would like to point out my errors, please do. I honestly encourage this.

But until then…

“I know why the caged bird sings.
Ah, me, when its wings are bruised and its bosom sore.
It beats its bars and would be free.
It’s not a carol of joy or glee,
but a prayer that it sends from its heart’s deep core,
a plea that upward to heaven it flings.
I know why the caged bird sings.”
-Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)

The boyfriend bought me the Signet Classic’s collection of Thomas Paine’s most influential works. I must now say that he has joined Ben Franklin and G-Wash (George Washington, for those who didn’t grasp that) as one of my all-time heroes.

I am so absolutely in love with the extraordinary beauty of “average” citizens doing absolutely wonderful things. Maybe I’ve bought into the whole American Dream thing a bit too much, but I can’t help it. Franklin was the fifteenth of seventeen children; his dad was a soap-boiler for crying out loud… now he’s the face on the $100 bill?!
Paine was just an average citizens yet he remains one of the most important pieces of the American Revolution. He was just a regular guy, but I am enveloped by the power of his language. His ability to articulate ideas eloquently, yet simply is amazing, and his insight is so advanced and wise.

I really don’t know why I am posting this. I suppose I just wanted to get these ideas out there. This really wasn’t political/social commentary, but it WAS an opinion… so I guess I haven’t strayed too far from my overall theme.

Anyway, here are some quotes that I’ve found particularly moving thus far:

“My country is the world, and my religion is to do good”

“I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.”

“Lead, follow, or get out of the way.”

“If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.”

“I believe in the equality of man; and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and endeavoring to make our fellow-creatures happy.”

“He who is the author of a war lets loose the whole contagion of hell and opens a vein that bleeds a nation to death.“
^^That’s for President Bush.

I wish I could write like this some day…

A wonderful article in the Washington Post caught my attention today: The Supreme Court is currently torn over whether lethal injections are a painful capital punishment procedure, thus violating the Constitution’s protection from cruel and unusual punishment.

This brings up a couple issues for me. In my Constitutional Law class we discussed whether the Supreme Court should be involved in questions of degree. As my professor was a very conservative man, he of course said no. Taking a step back and analyzing the question myself, I’d have to agree. The purpose of the Supreme Court is to interpret the Constitution and then determine whether a specific law is clearly and directly in opposition to it (check out Marbury v. Madison for Chief Justice Marshall’s eloquent opinion of what exactly judicial review is).

If my opinion is correct, what place to judges have in analyzing whether something is “too costly” or “too painful” or “too burdensome”? In order for the Supreme Court to determine whether lethal injection is a cruel and unusual punishment, scientific review and evidence would have to be presented to the Court so that the Justices could come to a decisions. Justices are in no way qualified to make a ruling on such matters; it is not in their expertise, nor was it ever meant to be. They are not doctors; they are judges.

As Justice Scalia so tenderly put it, “this is an execution, not surgery.” (High Court Divided Over Lethal Injection, Washington Post)

However, I must disagree with Justice Scalia’s opposition to a painless death for those convicted of murder and even the death penalty itself.

In 2006, the only known countries to utilize the death penalty were Bahrain, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, North Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Uganda, the United States of America, Vietnam, and Yemen (Amnesty International), and 91% of those executions took place in SIX countries: China, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, Sudan, and the United States.

As a country that fosters democracy and has spent excessive amounts of money and man power on “saving” the barbaric government of underdeveloped countries, it is quite ironic (and rather hypocritical) that we find ourselves grouped with these very same countries for such an issue. This is a really well done diagram I got off Wikipedia as far as the distribution of the death penalty http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Death_Penalty_World_Map.png

I just can’t see how murdering someone who murdered someone else somehow magically sets the world right again. Perhaps if I was the mother of a child who was raped and violently murdered, I would change my mind. However, at this point in my life, I cannot see the logic, and I know that I could not live with myself if I were responsible for the intentional murder of another human being. Yes, that person should be in prison for the rest of his or her life, but who are we to decide that that person’s life is no longer of value? And can you imagine the pain that is put on that person’s loved ones when they find out that their son, daughter, spouse, friend, etc. is to be put to death? Why must we punish more innocent lives? Why must we cause more people to suffer? What good does this do? What justice does this bring to the world?

Christians that promote the death penalty drive me the most insane. One of those messages that Jesus was always rambling about was letting God be the judge… i.e. How can you point out the splinter in your brothers eye when you do not see the low in your own? Let he who is without sin cast the first stone, etc.

In conclusion… if we want to get rid of the death penalty, or perhaps just rectify any flaws with lethal injection, it is up to the people to bring their opinions to their representatives. We can’t depend on the Supreme Court to do all of this work for us.

While chatting with a friend the other day about religion, he cited this passage from the Quran: “Prophet make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites and deal rigorously with them. Hell shall be their home: an evil fate” (Quran 9:73) “Those who believe fight in the cause of Allah, and those who reject faith fight in the cause of evil: so fight ye against the friends of Satan” (Quran 4:76), and of course, he referenced suicide bombings.

The direct correlation between Islam and September 11, the assertions that all Muslims are America-haters and Christian-killers, that the religion teaches them to either convert non-believers or exterminate them… all of this I’ve heard time and time again, and all of it I roll my eyes at. The overt hypocrisy, the vast generalizations, and the sheer idiocy of these remarks are so easy to see, yet even easier to overlook.

The Christian Bible’s Old Testament repeatedly calls on those of faith to either convert or kill non-believers. For example, Deuteronomy 17 states, “17:2 If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the LORD thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the LORD thy God, in transgressing his covenant; 17:3 And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded; 17:4 And it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and enquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel; 17:5 Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die.”

Why can we point out passages in the Quran that call for extermination of infidels while we continue to ignore the very passages in the CHRISTIAN BIBLE that promote the exact same actions? What makes our “peaceful” Christian religion justified in its writings urging murder yet labels Islam a violent faith?

After reaching this point in the argument, I am usually reminded of the events of September 11; I’m told that terrorists bombed the World Trade Center in the name of their faith, and thus, any faith that promotes such a thing must surely be a hostile one. I’d like to direct anyone who chooses to utilize this argument back to the actions of our peaceful Christian brothers and sisters. Think of the Christians who have blown up abortion clinics or attacked doctors and nurses who work there in the name of Christianity. Is this not a similar concept? European countries in the 16 and 1700s colonized and enslaved the people of Africa and Asia in the name of Christianity, in the name of saving the savage people from their filthy sin filled lives. Their land and resources were exploited and their human dignity ravaged all disguised under a veil of Christianity’s greater good, of a mission to bring the Christian faith to those who were too stupid and too uncivilized to know it.

But no, it is the Muslims who are violent.

The men who bombed the World Trade Center were not Muslims at all. The faith strictly forbids alcohol consumption, loose sexual values, and gambling, yet the terrorists of 911 drank heavily, utilized the service of prostitutes, and visited casinos all the night before their act of terrorism was to be executed. Wouldn’t it seem that men who are thought to be killing American lives all in the name of Islam would be interested in rigidly following the basic rules of their faith?

“Oh yes, well the Quran states that those who die for their faith will be rewarded greatly in heaven.” I would like to guide you toward Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount for a response to this argument. “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake/ Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. (Matthew 5:11-12). We honor martyrs and pray to saints, many of whom have died in the name of their Christian faith. We immortalize those who have died for the sake of Christianity… Sound familiar?

Of course, at this point I must add a disclaimer, although I know that there will still be someone who chooses to point this out: I am in no way saying that Islam is never used by evil people as a shield for evil deeds. However, we have to remember to separate the religion from the people. By this I mean, while the faith itself may say one this, someone else may interpret it to mean something else, something violent and hostile, and may act on it. This does not mean that that is what all Muslims believe!

Again, to Christianity… Some Christians believe that only through baptism can one be saved. Even if one has never heard of Jesus Christ, because that person has not been baptized and does not accept Christ as his or her savior (again, not by choice but because the belief in Christ has never been made known to that person), that person will go to hell. Not all Christians believe this. Not all Christians believe that homosexuality is a sin; not all Christians believe that the death penalty is bad; not all Christians believe evolution is real; not all Christians choose to wait to have sex until after marriage. This means that Christianity, like Islam, is not a uniform belief. Some people believe and do one thing while some people believe and do another. It is not just to generalize a whole people, an ENTIRE FAITH on the actions of the few or with regards to the events that we see on the news. It’s not fair, and it’s not right.

I really am becoming more and more disgusted with the hatred and bigotry toward Islam. Yes, there are bad Muslims out there, and Christians and Jews, and Hindus and atheists. We have to stop judging and entire faith on our shallow predispositions and skin-deep generalizations. We have to let go of our contempt and judgmental attitudes and stop being so childish and inane.

More senseless idealism and bleeding-heart liberalism from an untainted nineteen year old youth.
“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
MLK Jr.

Perhaps it’s not too late…